The Madness of Princess Azula
by Churnok
Summary: Since her defeat on the night of the comet Azula has been under the care of the Fire Nation's greatest mind healer. Now Zuko has come for his annual visit to talk with his sister's new personalities.
1. The artist & The Gamer

**The Madness of Princess Azula**

**By Churnok**

Disclaimer

Batman Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is owned by Viacom and is used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. The mind-healer is swiped from the TV series M.A.S.H so I can't even claim him. I just modified him to fit this reality. Permission is given to anyone who wants to archive this story as long as they let me know first and give me a link to their site. I welcome any comments, questions, and/or constructive criticisms.

**The Artist and the Gamer**

Zuko hated coming here, but he felt honor bound to visit her at least once every year. It was because of him that she was here after all, both directly and indirectly. True, she had been on the edge of sanity ever since her fire bending prowess emerged. Zuko blamed their father for that. Always pushing them both and never satisfied even when they excelled, but there had always been a dark stability to her. That stability was broken at the prison known as the Boiling Rock when her two only friends betrayed her. Mai betrayed her to save him and Ty Lee betrayed her to save Mai. That double betrayal started Azula's decent into madness, but it was her defeat at the hands of both Zuko and Katara on the night of Sozen's comet, the night when her powers were stronger than they would ever be for a hundred years, that finally pushed her over the edge.

"Ah, Zuko, a pleasure as always."

"Good morning honored Mind-healer," Zuko replied uneasily.

"Please, I ask you every time you visit to call me Syd-Ni," the head mind-healer of the institution said as he walked over to the young Firelord as if they were old friends and their respective positions meant nothing. It was part of what made him a good mind-healer and one of the things that Zuko both admired and envied about the man. "Formal titles just set people on edge and I've always found that healing, be it of the mind or the body, works best in a relaxed setting. You must agree or I would have to call you Firelord."

"How is she?"

"Ah yes, your sister. She's really developing into a fascinating case. As you know, she wasn't in the best of health when she came to live with us two years ago. Water benders can do wonders for the body but the mind is different and a far more difficult thing to heal." As they talked they walked from the building's main lobby to the wing of the institute reserved for Fire Nation nobility. The hall was all but empty as most of the residents were either in the recreation room of the wing, or in their rooms. "As you no doubt remember, she had been getting progressively more violent and unpredictable, finally having a complete breakdown during your last visit. Followed by a period of time where, aside from the necessities like eating, sleeping and other body functions, she was almost completely unresponsive to anything outside her own mind. Fortunately we were able to bring her out of it but her mind somehow came out segmented. Her original personality has been suppressed beneath two others. The more aggressive personality is obsessed with creating and winning games. Some of us aren't sure which is worse. Her gloating over victories or her tantrums when she loses."

Zuko surprised himself by chuckling, "that sounds like my sister."

"Fortunately her fire bending abilities are controlled entirely by her other personality, which has reverted to the state of an innocent child who likes nothing more than to draw strange creatures. In this state she's really rather sweet."

"Sweet and innocent?" Zuko looked at Syd-Ni like he was a few tiles short of a Pai-Cho game. "Even as a child my sister was never innocent and the only time she was sweet was when she was up to something unpleasant."

"Really? That could help prove my theory about her pictures."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Here, I'll show you." They had come to Azula's room. The door of which had a heavy lock and would be indistinguishable from the door of any other resident except that it was decorated with incredibly detailed paintings of strange animals. The healer pointed to two that were just below the door's window. "The one on the left she calls a Koala, the one on the right she calls an otter."

Zuko studied the two pictures. The first looked like a koala otter but with a stubby tail and without the long sleek body. The second had the correct body and tail but lacked any other feature. A more detailed examination of the door revealed that all the animals were the same way. Beautifully detailed yet strangely segmented.

"I think her pictures reflect her current mental condition. Her mind has separated into two distinct personalities. Both retain aspects of the whole, yet both express aspects that are unique to the personality. So she creates animals that are the same way." He studied the door thoughtfully before saying, "Normally we don't allow our guests to decorate the outside of their rooms but with your sister it was a choice between letting her paint her animals, or finding that she had used her fire bending to scorch them into the door the way she did to her, supposedly fireproof, walls before we gave her paint and parchment. Frankly it seems to have helped both her and other people here so much that I've asked the board of directors to let all our artistically inclined guests decorate their doors."

"If it helps any, tell them that I support the idea," said Zuko. He found the painted animals to be a relieving contrast to the stark burnt red of the institute's walls. True, most fire nation homes had the same color scheme, but there was always something different about places like this that made even something so familiar seem uncomfortable. He studied the one strange creature among those panted on the door that he recognized. It looked just like the bear the Earth King of Ba-Sing-Se had as a pet. Around the bear were animals that, if Azula kept to her pattern, represented the various types of bear. Skunk, platypus, etc.

Syd-Ni peeked in the window. "You're in luck; she seems to be in her artist persona at the moment. Fair warning though. When she's in this state she seems to only remember her life up to the day before she went to the Boiling Rock. She has no memory of anything that happened after that and even the events she does remember are viewed through the eyes of a child. For example; she remembers what she did at Ba Sing Se but she remembers it as a game of dress up. It's really quite fascinating. She thinks she's in her palace bedroom being punished by her father, who she thinks is still the Firelord. When we try to correct this perception by telling her about the events during Sozen's Comet she throws a tantrum and shuts down letting the Gamer persona takes over."

"Does the Gamer persona know what happened on the night of the comet?"

"Only in terms of a game. Every time I talk with the Gamer about it she claims that you cheated and demands a rematch. I'm not sure what would happen if she did get that rematch. Wining or losing could either snap her back to sanity or throw her deeper into her own world. It might even lead to another complete breakdown like your last visit. If that happened who knows when she'll emerge or what state she'll be in when she does." Syd-Ni sighed, "Even experts like me just don't know enough about the mind to do more than guess at what one this sick will do."

"Will she still recognize me in her current state?"

"Yes, I believe so. Whether she sees you as her brother or as Firelord Ozai is another question. She sees everyone here in terms that fit her fantasy. For example, there is no place in her fantasy for a mind-healer so I am seen as her personal tutor."

"So she'll either call me Zuzu, or father," Zuko replied. He wasn't sure how he felt about the possibility of being mistaken for their father and hoped his lack of royal robes would decrease the possibility.

"I could come in with you if you prefer."

"No, I still want this to be just between me and my sister."

"Very well, but I will send some orderlies to stand guard in case of trouble. Standard procedure when a resident is prone to violent outbursts."

"I understand," Zuko replied. Taking a breath he opened the door and walked in.

At the sound of the door opening Azula turned from her easel in the left corner of the room furthest from the door. "Hi Zuzu," she said brightly upon seeing him. "Wanna see the horsey I made?"

Relieved to hear the hated nick name rather than to be called father he reflexively said, "sure." As he walked over to her he tried to find some sign of the sister he knew. She looked like Azula, In fact she looked better than she did when he first brought her here, but there was nothing of the sadistic girl he had grown up with in her behavior. Where Azula was always controlled, smug and scheming, with a smile that never boded well for anyone but her, this person was more like Ty Lee. She wasn't as athletic, but she was bright, energetic and perky with a smile of genuine happiness. He found he preferred her this way and felt a pang of guilt for it.

To distract himself from this train of thought he studied her latest work. She had called it a horsey so he had assumed that it would bear some resemblance to an Ostrich horse, but it looked nothing like the familiar beast of burden. In fact it bore no clear resemblance to any creature he had ever seen, and yet, despite the fact that it was still incomplete, it was so detailed that he half expected it to breath.

"What do you think?" she asked with all the expectant innocence of a child showing off her work to an older sibling whose opinion she valued. Further proof that the sister he knew wasn't in control.

"I can honestly say that this is the most realistic horsey I have ever seen."

"Really?" she gave him a delighted hug. "Thank you Zuzu. He was really hard to draw and I wasn't sure he was coming out right."

"Have you ever seen a horsey before?" Zuko asked as he gently disengaged from her hug before she cracked a rib.

"Only in my dreams," she said. Then she looked sad before saying, "and when the other me is in charge."

"Other you?"

She turned away from him and started to pout. "I don't wanna talk about her. She's mean. All she wants to do is play those stupid games she makes up, she never wants to play with me and she says my pictures are stupid."

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

She turned back to face him, "I wanna know if I'm still grounded."

"What makes you think you're grounded?"

"I'm not allowed to leave the palace and Mai and Ty Lee don't come over to play. Since the last time you were home the only family I've seen is Mother. I've asked Syd-Ni when I can see Father but he keeps changing the subject so Father must be punishing me for something."

"I'll have to ask Syd-Ni who she's identified as being Mother," Zuko thought to himself uneasily. Their mother had disappeared the night their grandfather had died and their father had been named Firelord. Zuko knew she was alive and that their father knew where she might be, but despite repeated conversations with Ozai, who had been stripped of both crown and powers and now resided in a private cell, Zuko still had no idea where their mother was.

"Father has been very busy lately with government matters that Syd-Ni isn't allowed to know about." Zuko hated to lie, for one thing he still wasn't very good at it, but for her sake, he hoped he was believable. "Syd-Ni just doesn't want to upset you, but I'll talk with Father about letting you leave the palace sometime. At the very least I'll see about getting Mai to come visit." He tried to get Mai to come with him every time, but she kept refusing. She would never admit it, but the thought of seeing Azula this way, knowing that she had something to do with it, must upset her. It certainly upset him.

"Thank you Zuzu," she said solemnly. Then she perked up and said, "wanna see the other animals I made?" Without waiting for a reply she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to the wall. "See. I have a lion, and a turtle, and a…"

The walls of Azula's room were made of a type of stone that was supposed to be impervious to fire; in fact the entire building was made of fireproof material, but apparently Azulas blue flame was hot enough to scorch her drawings into the wall as there was a line of animals that went from the middle of the wall her bed was against, across the wall in front of them and ended on the left side of the room's only door. What's more, her wall drawings were apparently to scale judging from the bear that towered over him. Perhaps being a perfectionist was a trait that this Azula retained from before. Some of her older paintings were also decorating the wall. Any area of wall space she could reach that wasn't blocked by furniture was covered by her artwork in one form or another. Yet none of them went past the bed or the door.

"Why are all your animals on this side of the room?" Zuko asked.

"Because I'm not allowed on her side of the room," the Artist stated. Then she grinned like she had gotten away with something naughty. "She doesn't know I drew on her side of the ceiling though." She pointed up proudly. On the ceiling Zuko saw the silhouettes of several different types of birds. Some flying alone while others flew in formations.

"What do you call those birds," Zuko asked pointing to a group that was flying in a circle like the hive dwelling buzzards in the dessert. Except these creatures were clearly birds while Buzzards were more like insects.

"I call them vultures," she replied," they eat dead animals. I have a closer picture if you want to see."

"Maybe later," he said as he went back to examining the room. It did look like two people lived in that room and maintained a strict boundary line that went from the chest at the foot of the bed to the door, cutting the room in half. On the side he and his sister were on the room was strewn with books, toys, and stuffed animals that Azula hadn't played with since before her bending manifested. The other side looked like a game store that had been hit by a whirlwind. Syd-Ni was right. The tantrums Azula's other self threw were pretty bad, and yet none of the game pieces crossed the invisible line in the middle of the room. The same was true with anything that belonged on the side he was still on. Both sides were a mess and yet there was nothing on the floor between the door and the bed. Respecting other people wasn't something his sister was known for so there must be a reason why nether persona would cross that line.

As Azula was adjusting one of her paintings Zuko walked into the clear area in the middle of the room.

"Zuzu no!" Azula cried in fear when she turned and saw that he was about to enter the other side of the room. She ran to him and began to push him back.

"Why? What are you afraid of?"

"That's her side of the room!"

"Don't worry," Zuko tried to reassure her, "I'm just going over for a look. I'll be right back." The look of terror on her face brought back long forgotten childhood memories from before she could bend. They had been playing together in the palace when Zuko decided to sneak into their father's study. The look of fear on her face when she tried to stop him was the same look she had now. Was this who Azula would have become had their father not warped her to his own ends?

"You don't understand! If you go over there she'll know. She always knows. As long as everyone stays on my side I can keep her asleep, most of the time. But when ever anyone goes on her side she knows and she wakes up. I can't fight her Zuzu, I can't!" The tears that flowed from her eyes hurt him more than any attack.

"It's ok Azula I know she scares you," Zuko said as he put an arm around her. "She used to scare me too, but you must have some control over her, otherwise some of her stuff would be on your side."

"She just feels weaker on my side," Azula sniffed sadly, "she hates being weak. That's why she hates me, because I'm weak."

Zuko held her at arms length and looked her in the eyes. "Azula, you are not weak. You are a princess of the fire nation and the strongest fire bender I've ever known." He reached down and picked up one of the crude playing pieces that were closest to the boarder line. "Look at what she tries to make." He turned her around and pointed to one of the beautifully detailed pictures she had burned into the wall, an animal she called a lion. "Look what you can create. "She calls you weak because she's jealous of what you can do. She keeps you afraid of her because you are strong in ways that she can't, or wont understand." He turned her back to face him. "I want to help you, but to do that, I have to talk to her. Do you understand?"

"No," she said as she wiped away the last of her tears, "but I trust you Zuzu."

"Thank you." Zuko let go of her and entered the Gamer's territory to wait for Azula's other persona to emerge. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hello brother," Zuko heard a familiar voice say from behind him. She spoke the words as if they were an insult rather than a salutation. He turned to see a version of his sister that was closer to what he remembered. Physically, nothing had changed, but otherwise, everything about her was different. "I have waited a long time for our rematch."

"Do you plan to challenge me to an Ag-Ni-Kai?" Zuko asked knowing that this persona couldn't even light a candle. He wanted to see how she'd get out of it without admitting her lack. Cruel he knew, but he somehow knew that the Gamer would not understand kindness.

"No, the last time we played that game you cheated. With my games you can't cheat."

"It was you who cheated," he countered angrily. "It was just between us until you attacked Katara."

"No! I never cheat! Cheating is a path for weaklings like you! I am not like my pathetic other self! **I am never weak!"**

"Prove it then," Zuko replied evenly, though, in light of her blazing temper, he was rather glad that she couldn't use her fire bending in this persona. "Let's play one of you games. Three rounds. Whoever wins two wins the match."

"Agreed," she snarled as she went to one of several game tables and, after righting it, began to gather up the pieces. Zuko walked over and examined the playing field while she set up. It looked like a large square separated into several smaller squares. Each square was about the same size and colored in an alternating two color pattern. On the side closest to the room boarder she had set up two lines of crude pieces that were badly painted in fire nation colors. On the side furthest from the boarder she set up matching pieces painted in water tribe colors. He knew, even before she sat down on the chair behind the fire nation line, that he would be playing water tribe.

"I call this game, Chess," she said as Zuko took his place behind his pieces.

"Why do you call it chess?"

"Why is Uncle Iroh's favorite game called Pai-Cho?" Azula snapped. "It's my game and I can call it whatever I want."

She explained the rules of her game. It was really a rather interesting strategy game, simpler than pai-cho, but still promised to be a challenge. "Fire Nation goes first," she stated once the rules were explained. She then proceeded to move a front line unit, which she called a peasant, two spaces forward. As the game progressed Zuko did everything he could within the rules to prolong this first round. He knew he stood little chance of winning the first game, but by studying the way the pieces moved, and his sister's aggressive tactics, he thought he could increase his chances of winning the second round. The violent way she knocked his pieces off the board was also informative. It certainly explained why the paint on the water tribe pieces was so badly chipped in comparison to the fire nation ones. As an experiment he knocked one of her pieces off the board the same way. Only instead of knocking the piece to one side or the other he purposely sent her sage flying towards her. She dodged of course, but he hadn't intended to hit her with it. The sage landed on the boarder and bounced into the other side. Her gloating when she finally won was as bad as Zuko had expected. He ignored it, gathered up the water tribe pieces that had been knocked off, and put all of them back in place on the board. Azula's defeated pieces were all on the side of the table where Zuko had put them, with the exception of those that had fallen off during her victory rant and the sage on the Artist's side of the room. When she finally calmed down enough to gather her pieces she couldn't find that sage.

"Where is my other fire sage?" she demanded.

"Over there," Zuko replied calmly as he pointed.

"Go get it," she said as if he were a servant.

"I've gathered my forces already," he said calmly. "The sage is yours."

"You knocked it over there you get it."

"You knocked my pieces across the room," he countered calmly. It was hard for him to keep his temper, but he had learned from numerous sessions with anal retentive nobles, politicians, and generals that losing his temper at the wrong time was a good way to lose control of the situation. "Yet I gathered them and put them back on the board." He gave her a thoughtful look before saying, "I suppose I could get it for you're afraid to go over there."

"I am afraid of nothing!" To prove this she strode across the boundary to get the sage. One would thing she was walking through a swamp the way her nose wrinkled in disgust. She picked up her sage and shook it off to dislodge the imaginary filth.

When she was ready the second round began. This time Zuko knew the game and was able to win. Needles to say, the board went flying and Azula attacked him. Had this been a fight between fire benders, and if she was in her right mind, she would've been formidable. As it was he defeated her easily. Her fighting style always had depended more on bending than on hand to hand fighting.

At the sound of their fighting two orderlies came in ready to restrain Azula and protect the Firelord.

"Get out!" Zuko shouted while struggling to hold his sister.

"But my lord…" one orderly started to say.

"This is between me and her! I want no interference!"

"As you command Firelord Zuko," the second orderly said as he bowed and lead his confused companion out of the room.

"Azula," Zuko said to his sister. "The match is three rounds. We have each won one round. Do I call the orderlies back and leave the match as a stalemate, or will you calm down so we can finish it?"

The possibility of a stalemate, of neither wining nor losing, had been drilled into both Azula and Zuko as not being an option. Zuko had since learned otherwise, but Azula's gamer persona seemed even more fanatical about victory at all costs then Azula had been. As he had hoped, Zuko's words snapped her out of her homicidal tantrum and she stopped fighting his hold.

"There must be a victory," she snarled as he let her go.

"Then let's finish this," he said as he righted the table and gathered his scattered forces. Watching as she gathered her own. "Your other self said that Mother came to visit."

"I don't want to talk about her, or my weaker self," she replied as her hand tightened into a fist around her Fire Lady piece.

"Why not?" Zuko asked.

"Because she's _your_ mother, she's _her_ mother, not mine." Her voice rose in anger as she spoke. "She only comes to see the princess, not the monster, but I don't need her or the weak princess she coddles. When I crush you in this game it will prove that I am the strongest. I shall reclaim my crown and I'll never have to see them again!"

Zuko was defiantly going to talk with Syd-Ni. He finished setting up his side and sat down to wait while she did the same. As the third round began Zuko thought quickly about his options. Losing was out of the question but wining would just send her into another blind rage. There seemed to be only one option. He only hoped he was doing the right thing.


	2. Draw Victory

**Draw Victory**

It had been a difficult strategy, involving more luck than skill, but Zuko finally reached a point in the game where he could end it in one final move. If he moved one way Azula would lose, but if he moved the other way, he risked her sanity.

He made his move.

Azula laughed maniacally as Zuko finished his move. "You show your weakness brother! With one move you could have crushed me and won this game. Now you shall pay!" Her sadistic glee crumbled as she studied the board for her next move and found that was no moves she could make. "No. This is impossible." Panic rose in her face as she circled the table, pushing her brother aside as if he wasn't there. She was desperately searching for some move she could make. Some way she could escape the trap that Zuko had locked them both into. Seeing none she turned and grabbed onto his tunic, shaking him violently as she demanded a rematch.

"No," he said gently. The pain in her face hurt him more than any attack, but he saw no other choice. Her current gamer persona would have attacked him if he had won and insisted he surrender his crown if he had lost. Either way nothing would have changed. He didn't know what a draw would do to her, but he hoped it would help her somehow. "We agreed on a three round match. You won the first round, I won the second. The match ends with this stalemate."

"No!" she screamed causing the two orderlies outside to rush back in. Zuko gestured for them to stay back. "It can't end without victory! I demand a rematch! The pleading look in her eyes almost broke Zuko's resolve. She was scared of this unexpected ending, as scared as her Artist persona had been when he entered the Gamer's side of the room.

At his final refusal she collapsed in a heap at his feet. He bent down to comfort her and found her other persona, that of the innocent little princess with the artistic talent, staring at him in puzzlement.

"What happened Zuzu?" she asked. "The other me is crying. She never cries."

"I played a game with her."

"But she released control. She never releases control. She's lost games before but I have to wake up before her to have any control."

"We tied," he said simply. "She's going to be very upset about that for awhile. I need you to look after her. Can you do that for me?"

"Why should I?"She pouted. "She's never nice to me."

"She doesn't know how to be," Zuko explained. "That's why she needs you."

"She needs me?" Azula asked in wonder.

"That's right. Because she's a part of you and you are a part of her. Right now she's scared and confused. You need to show her that someone does care about her and that caring for others isn't showing weakness."

"It isn't?"

"No, it's one of your strengths. She needs you to share your strengths with her now. When she's better maybe she'll share her strengths with you."

"And then we can be strong together and wont be grounded any more," she exclaimed.

"I'll have to talk with Father about that," it wasn't a total lie, he would have to talk with Syd-Ni, "but it will help."

Azula straightened like any child who had just been given an important job. "Don't worry Zuzu, I'll help her get better, and then we can come visit you."

He gave her a hug. "I look forward to that day Azula." Then he stood up. I have to leave now, but I'll be back soon." He looked around the room. "And when I do I expect both sides of this room to be cleaned up," he said in a stern voice.

"But Zuzu…"

"No buts Azula. You're a princess and so is she. As such you should not allow yourself to live in such a mess."

"OK," she said reluctantly.

"Don't think of it as a chore," he advised. "Think of it as the first step in helping her get better. When you finish cleaning her side ask her to clean your side. Make it a game. Who can clean the other side faster?"

"But that would mean giving her control and she never gives it back."

"Then make control a victory condition of the game and make sure you win, but don't make victory important. Show her how much fun just playing the game can be." It was a lesson that their uncle Iroh had tried to teach him many times.

"OK Zuzu, I'll try."

"That's all I ask." He gave her a parting hug and left the room with the orderlies. Glancing back just as he walked through the door to see that she was looking around, trying to decide where to start.

"I must say I'm a little jealous," said the head mind healer with a smile as Zuko entered the hallway. "You seem to have done more for her in one day then I've been able to do since her two personalities emerged."

How long have you been watching?" Zuko asked.

"Long enough. After you sent the orderlies out of the room the first time, one of them came to get me. Did you intentionally end that game in a draw?"

"I had to do something Syd-Ni. It's my fault she's here."

Syd-Ni sighed, "You are not responsible for your sister's sickness. I won't lie and say there was nothing you could have done, nor can I tell you what you could have done. I wasn't there. I only know what you've told me and what I can glean from my conversations with both of your sister's personas. Based on that, the blame for her condition falls more on your predecessor then on you. If anything you saved her before she turned the Fire Nation into her funeral pyre."

"But she was fine until…"

"Mai helped you escape from Boiling Rock," Syd-Ni finished. He had heard the whole tirade of self blame before. "Again I can't say for certain, but as I have told you before, I believe she was unstable even before then. If it hadn't been Boiling Rock it would have been somewhere else. She was a disaster waiting for a place to happen. I know that doesn't alleviate your guilt, but I hope you take comfort from the fact that what you have done today may have helped to set her on the road to recovery."

"She mentioned our mother visiting her," Zuko said. I'd like to meet the woman Azula thinks is her."

"I'm sure you would, but there is no such woman. Just a persistent delusion from before your sister came here. A rather nice lady though, based on my conversations with Azula's Artist persona."

"And what does her other persona say about the delusion?"

"Pretty much what she said to you I imagine. Your mother only comes to see the princess not the monster, when she regains her crown she'll never have to see them again, etc. Not true of course. Your mother appears to the Artist more often but she does try to reach both personas. Most of the Gamer's screams of rage are at this imaginary mother."

"Will Azula ever be normal again?"

Syd-Ni smiled at a private joke, "That depends entirely on your definition of normal. Will she ever be the person she was? No, and for the same reason that you will never be the person you were before. Life changes us with every new experience. Will she ever recover from her mental illness and be able to live a life outside this facility?" He sighed, "I wish I could say yes, but I can't be certain. I believe that you've set her on the right path, and I will try to guide her on it as best I can until you return, but the rest is up to her."  
"She'll make it," Zuko said with certainty. "She's one of the strongest people I know."

Syd-Ni sighed again, "sometimes the strong people are the hardest to fix when they break." He placed a hand on the young Fire Lord's shoulder in a fatherly gesture of reassurance. "But with your help and support I'm confident that she has a chance."

"Thank you Syd-Ni."

"Anytime Zuko, Syd-Ni replied. "Anytime."

As Zuko and Syd-Ni walked away from Azula's room one of the orderlies still standing by the door noticed a familiar burning smell. He looked through the door's observation window to see that Azula had stopped cleaning and was burning a new picture into the wall behind her bed. A place that had been untouched before as it was within the border between the two territories. He watched in fascination as the new creatures quickly took form. He knew enough about extinct animals to recognize dragons but, as with all of Azula's animals, these were strangely split. The one on the Artist's side had most of the recognizable features of a dragon, the long serpentine body, the regal features, everything but the wings. Those were on the dragon that was being carefully burned into the Gamer's side of the border. This one had a more muscular body and fierce features. Rather fitting considering that persona's temperament. Then he saw something that truly shocked him. She had drawn multiple animals before but all of her other animal pictures were separate from each other, but as Azula finished and moved aside to study her work the orderly saw that these new dragons were doing more then just facing each other. They were shaking hands as if sealing an agreement. The orderly knew he would have to tell Syd-Ni about this, and wondered what the mind healer would say. Maybe there was hope for the child after all.


	3. Healer Visit

**Healer Visit**

Syd-Ni walked through the nobility wing of the institute. The separation was more for the benefit of the families of the residents then the residents themselves as Syd-Ni made sure all residents were treated equally regardless of social rank. Many of the resident nobles were unaware that they received the same high quality of treatment as the farmers and other lower class people who sought help here, and those that were aware, seemed to prefer the simplicity that such a leveled playing field offered. Some even enjoyed working in the garden or other menial tasks that were frowned upon by their social circles outside the institute.

He stopped by the one door in the entire wing, indeed the entire facility, that was different from all the others. This door belonged to Princess Azula and was beautifully decorated with strange animals that represented her split state of mind. Many of the staff and residents here, Syd-Ni included, found the painting to be a pleasant relief from the otherwise bare walls of this place. The board of directors was still arguing over the details of allowing other residents to decorate their doors. Syd-Ni was grateful that they had finally decided to allow it, thanks to the endorsement of the young Fire Lord Zuko. Being the head mind healer only gave Syd-Ni so much weight with the board and they were reluctant to make any policy changes that would be hard to erase if things went wrong.

It was hard to believe the amount of progress Azula had made in the few months since her brother's last visit.. Much of it through the efforts of her Artist persona in trying to help her Gamer persona recover from the stalemate that her game against Zuko had ended in.

When her split personality first manifested it had been easy to tell the two personas apart, even though they both answered to the same name. For one thing, only one persona was ever active and in control of the body at any one time. When one persona was in control the other was in a dormant state. Usually similar to sleep but there had been times where the controlling persona was aware of the dormant persona doing something other than sleep within their shared body. A shift in personas only happened when the controlling persona was faced with something she couldn't handle. Now Azula's personas could both be active at the same time and ofen had conversations with each other. Syd-Ni chuckled to himself as he thought about their session earlier that week. Talking with them got a little confusing at times as they were beginning to pick up each other's personality traits, but Syd-Ni took that as a positive sign.

Getting to this point hadn't been easy though. Even with gentle coaxing from the Artist it had taken the Gamer persona a couple days to get over the shock of that stalemate. Giving the Artist full run of the entire room, not just her side of it. Perhaps that's why the Gamer recovered so quickly. She realized that her walls were being decorated with lions, tigers, and other imaginary creatures. Thus resulting in the first of many fights between the two personas.

Syd-Ni shook himself out of his thoughts. I wouldn't do for people to see him staring at the door of a resident for so long no matter how colorful the paintings on it. He gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Azula's voice.

Syd-Ni entered and found the princess was at the work table between the territories carefully painting one of the new game pieces she had made in the workshop. One of the changes made in the months following the stalemate was for the Artist to make new, more detailed pieces for some of her counterpart's games. The original games, along with their rule scrolls, were now in the game room. Except for the original chess set, which both Azulas had given to Syd-Ni as a gift.

"Hello Syd-Ni," Azula said as she finished what, by the coloration, looked like an Earth King chess piece. "I thought we didn't have a session today?"

"Nothing scheduled," Syd-Ni said as he pulled another chair to the table and sat down, "but I had some free time and I thought the two of you might like a visit." It was getting hard to tell which Azula he was talking to without her being on one side or the other of the room. The fact that she had been painting when he came in was becoming less and less of a clue as they were teaching each other their respective skills, and asking her which Azula was talking only resulted in giggles from either or both personas. It was one of the more annoying aspects of her recovery, but Syd-Ni chose to see it as a hopeful sign. "What are you working on?"

"Oh just finishing an Earth King for Azula's chess set. We can now play as any of the four elements."

So it was the Artist persona he was talking with. "Where is she at the moment?"

"Asleep right now. Do you want me to wake her?"

Another change in their respective behaviors. Before, the idea of one persona waking the other scared the Artist and disgusted the Gamer. They behaved more and more like loving sisters each day. "No, not right now. How have the two of you been getting along lately?"

"Pretty good most of the time. She still gloats when she wins sometimes and throws mild tantrums when she loses, but at least that's all she throws."

"That's good. I'd hate to see the new game pieces get chipped after all the work you put into making them." Syd-Ni took a moment to examine the room. "I see she still hasn't let you finish that bird of yours." He was referring to a half finished, long necked creature that was the last in the line of animals burned into the Gamer's side of the room.

"The ostrich? No, she still won't let me finish him. She keeps saying she'll burn him off when she can fire bend again. She likes the cats I made though. She says they're fitting for someone of her power and beauty."

"Well at least she has learned to appreciate some of your animals," Syd-Ni said with a smile. "Only a few months ago she wasn't fond of any of your paintings."

"She thought they were a stupid waste of time," Azula stated, "and we both thought that I was weak."

"Yes, but your brother corrected that misconception, didn't he?"

Azula smiled, "Yeah, He broke her control and helped me to see that I can be strong too. That I had to be strong to help her get better. Now we're both stronger."

"How does your other self feel about that?"

"She still wants a rematch with Zuzu," Azula replied simply.

"What if he ends the game with another stalemate?"

"I think she can handle that now. We've ended a lot of our games in draws and she only panicked the first five times. It still upsets her though."

"Have you ever just let her win?"

Azula was clearly shocked by the idea. "It's very hard to win against her. I'd rather the game end in a draw then lose on purpose. At least then I prove that I'm just as good as she is."

"I understand. She's a very formidable opponent." he glanced over at the time candle. "I'm afraid I have to get back to work soon. Anything you want to ask before I go?"

"When is Father going to visit me?"

Syd-Ni hated when she asked this question. He didn't like lying to those in his care but he knew that the truth at the wrong time could do more harm then good. "I don't know. He is a very busy man after all."

"But he's not the Fire Lord anymore. Zuzu is. So why can't he come visit me?"

Only years of experience kept Syd-Ni from showing his surprise. "Who told you that your brother was the Fire Lord?"

"Azula," she replied. Father made her the Fire Lord but she lost the crown to Zuzu in a game of Ag-Ni-Kai."

Incredible. When anyone else tried to tell her that Zuko was the Fire Lord she would refuse to accept it, get upset, and shut down leaving her other self in control. Clearly the time the two persona had been spending with each other has been more beneficial for both of them than he thought. "Your father made some bad choices during his reign as Fire Lord..."

"So now he's grounded like me?"

"In a manner of speaking." Only the childlike seriousness of her expression kept him from smiling at the image of the once feared Ozai being grounded like a misbehaving child.

"For how long?"

"I honestly don't know. But I will make sure to ask Zuko in my next letter to him. Now I really must be going," he said as he stood to leave. "Anything else?"

"Could you get me writing materials and some sealing wax? We want to write our own letter to Zuzu.

He smiled, "I'm sure he will be thrilled to hear from both of you. See you tomorrow Princess Azula." He bowed and left. Secure in the hope that, one day, she would no longer need his services.


	4. Remembered Pain

**Remembered Pain**

Azula was sleeping soundly after a long and enjoyable day at the institute. As her body slept her two personas shared a dream. They didn't need to, but they found that their body was better rested if they did.

In their dream they manifested themselves as the dragons that faced each other above the head of their bed. The persona known as the Gamer dug her powerful claws into the floor of the as yet featureless dream-scape. Her wings creating hurricane force wings. Power was clearly displayed in every muscle that flexed beneath her dark red scales.

Where the Gamer displayed power, her artist counterpart displayed grace as she coiled her serpentine body and folded her arms under her jaw. Her own scales were a lighter shade of red. "I wonder what tonight's dream will be?" she asked in a soft, almost childlike voice that seemed strange coming from a dragon's mouth.

"I don't know Azula," the Gamer replied in a harder version of the same voice. They watched as the dream-scape formed into a room that once terrified the young Fire Princess.

"Father's study," the Artist said as she coiled tighter in fear.

"Yes," the Gamer replied calmly. "Complete with Father." And indeed Ozai was there working at his desk as if the two dragons weren't in the room. The dragons should have dwarfed both desk and man, indeed the spacious study should have felt cramped to them. But the room and everything in it except the dragons was taken from Azula's childhood memories, and to her, everything about this room seemed huge.

There was the sound of running feet and the two dragons turned to see a young Azula run in excitedly with a piece of parchment clutched in paint splattered hands.

"Father, do you wanna see the picture I made?"

Fire Prince Ozai didn't even look up from his work as he used his fire bending to destroy the picture. Almost burning her hand in the process. "I am a very busy man Azula. I don't have time to waste giving false praise to your useless scribbles," he said as if it didn't matter.

The young Azula just stared at the ashes that had been her picture. "But, I worked hard on that picture," she finally stammered in disbelief.

"You shouldn't waste your time on such peasant endeavors."

"But, Father..."

"Don't talk back to me Azula!" Ozai looked up and glared at Azula. The dragon Azulas knew by now that they were watching a memory and that they couldn't actually be hurt, but the Artist still cringed at the force of Ozai's glare. "Though you have not manifested your fire bending you are still a princess of the Fire Nation and as such represent the power and prestige of our glorious home. You should be feared. For only through fear can you truly command power and respect from . Do you honestly think that anyone would fear someone who wastes her time drawing?"

"No Father," Azula sniffed.

"That's my girl. I know this hurts now, but for a weapon to be strong it's weaknesses must be cleansed from it through fire. Now leave me, and do not disturb me again until you can fire bend like your brother." He returned to his work. Expecting her to leave as she had been told. Only the dragons watched her go.

"Father was wrong," the Artist finally said. "My drawings were not a waste of time. They made me feel good "

"There was no place for your art in his game," the Gamer countered. "Anything he could not use, he had to crush lest it be used against him. It was a sound strategy in his mind."

"That doesn't make it right," the artist stated. "Besides, I still drew my pictures."

"Yes, in secret. Not even our friends, Mai and Ty Lee knew about your artwork for fear that they would reveal you as a weakness to Father. So you see. In that respect, he won," the statement was clearly sour in her mouth. She turned to the giant Ozai. "You may have beaten us Father, but in the end, it was the Avatar who won the game." She spat a stream of fire at him which fell harmlessly through him.

"Come on Azula," the Artist said as she uncoiled and walked to the door. "I don't like this place. It hurts."

"I agree," the Gamer said as she followed her counterpart out the door. "This round is over. Let's remember how the rest of the game went."


	5. Azula's Monster

**Azula's Monster**

As Azula's body slept, her personas continued to relive the pivotal moments of her life. Each dealing with the experience in her own way as they watched the man they called father warp a sweet princess into a cruel monster that even the Gamer found disturbing.

The changes were subtle, but became more pronounced when Azula displayed her prowess as a fire bender at an early age. Even then, few people could have noticed what was happening and even fewer would be brave enough, or foolish enough, to speak out against the Fire Lord. Only one person could do so and survive his wrath.

"Mother really did try to protect us from him, didn't she Azula," the Artist said as another memory faded into the mist. This one had been of an argument held between their parents that Azula had overheard.

"Yes Azula," the Gamer replied sadly. "Unfortunately what we heard her say in this argument turned me against her."

"But she didn't really call you a monster," the Artist protested. "We just misunderstood."

"I know," the Gamer snarled, "but the damage was the same. Because of what we heard that night I devoted our life to a man who only saw his own children as tools."

The Artist put a reassuring claw on her counterpart's shoulder. "We were manipulated and you made a mistake. I forgive you. Zuzu forgives you."

"Oh no, Zuko." at the mention of their brother's nickname the dream-scape coalesced into another memory. The memory of the night their mother left them.

They watched as Azula tormented Zuko without mercy. The artist turned her head away in shame while the Gamer growled in self loathing. She remembered how good it felt to torment their elder brother. How it seemed to sooth her own pain.

"Oh Azula," the Artist cried. "How could we be so mean to Zuzu?"

"We were hurting," the Gamer replied, "and it was easier to hide our pain by being cruel to someone else then it was to admit that we were in as much pain as he was."

"And it's so much fun to see people squirm," a third, snake like, voice hissed from the shadows. They turned to see a new dragon come into the light. Her body was like the Artist's but her head was more like the Gamer's as she half walked, half slithered over to them. Her green scales reflecting like slime.

"Who are you?" the Gamer demanded as she took a defensive position between the newcomer and the Artist.

"Isn't it obvious?" the green dragon countered as she reared up like a venomous eel cobra. "I'm Azula. Or at least, I'm as much Azula as you two pathetic lizards are. I am the part of her that enjoys being a monster." She smiled in a way that would send chills down the spine of most people even if it was on a human face.

"We don't want you here," the Artist said from behind the Gamer.

"Whether you want me here or not is irrelevant," Asula's sadistic persona snarled. "I'm here to remind you that, no matter how you my look down upon what Azula became, there will always be a part of you that enjoyed it. Or don't you remember how Azula felt about this delightful family moment?"

The scene dissolved again to be replaced by a public arena where Zuko received his scar. The audience was packed but the dragons somehow found room around Azula and Zhao.

"Remember this?" the Sadist said to the Gamer as one of the most painful moments in their brother's life played out before them. "how we loved watching our pathetic older brother grovel at Father's feet."

"It was not a fair game," the Gamer stated. Zuko thought he was going to face the general whose wasteful strategy he had objected to. Not our father."

"Fair," the Sadist spat. "A useless word made up by weak fools to try and limit the strong. Was it fair years from this moment when we burned down that idiot boy's house on Ember Island? No, clearly not, but even Zuko had fun doing it. Zuko got what he deserved here for not keeping his stupid mouth shut. His cowardice before Father only compounded his error."

"Big talk coming from a parasite," said the Gamer.

"And what do you mean by that remark?" the Sadist said. Her casual tone contrasting with the way she coiled into a striking position.

"you feed on the pain and suffering of those around you. Even friends and family are nothing but prey to you, but you can't get this by yourself. You twist my skills at playing games and reading my opponent to give you what you need. Even here you relish Zuko's remembered pain but you didn't do anything to cause it."

"Oh don't sound so all important," the sadist countered, "There was no strategy when we burned down that house, just cruel pleasure, and besides, without me your little victory dances would be hollow. You need me to enjoy our so called life."

"Not anymore she doesn't," the artist said.

"You stay out of this, weakling,"the sadist hissed at the Artist.

"If I'm such a weakling," the Artist said, "why do I share a room with her and not you?"

The Sadist recoiled as if struck.

"You are nothing without us," the Gamer continued. "She can create works of beauty, I can create games and strategies, but you can create nothing. At most you can only cause pain, and most of the time you need to manipulate people to do it. You may be as much a part of Azula as we are, but you need us more than we need you."

"You're going to need a healer when I'm done!" The sadist launched herself at the Gamer like a striking snake, but was intercepted by the Artist, much to the surprise of all three dragons. The memory dissolved as the two serpentine bodies twined around each other. Their claws were locked together and thus rendered useless so each was trying to squeeze the life out of the other. The Gamer watched in shocked silence from the sidelines.

Finally the artist proved the stronger as she unwound herself from the Sadist's unconscious form. All the Gamer could say was, "you have been spending too much time with me."

"Just because I don't like to fight doesn't mean I can't," the Artist stated simply between breaths. "At least I don't do a victory dance."

"I could teach you," the Gamer offered with a smile.

"Pathetic," a deep voice growled before the Artist could respond. The two dragons turned to see Ozai in his Phoenix King regalia tower before them. A look of contempt on his massive features. They now faced the monster that made Azula what she was.


	6. All as One

**We Fight as One**

Azula began to toss and turn in her sleep. Her dream had gone from an unpleasant stroll through the darkest moments of her life, to a confrontation with her father.

The giant form of Phoenix King Ozai glared down at the three dragons that represented Azula's three manifested personas. The green dragon that was her Sadistic persona was still unconscious after her defeat at the coils of the red dragon known as the Artist, who now cowered beside the darker, more muscular, red form of the Gamer.

"I thought this stroll down memory lane would remind you of what made you strong," Ozai growled, displeasure dripping from each word. "I thought I had done with you what I had failed to do with your brother. Purge your mother's weakness from you. Clearly I was wrong. Without the influence of my purifying flame you quickly become a fragmented imitation of your former glory." He sighed as if about to do an unpleasant chore, "You were the child that I was most proud of. Now I must destroy you before you disgrace our family further." he lifted his foot to crush the prone form of the Sadist.

"No!" the Gamer shouted as she blasted him with a plume of flame, knocking him off balance long enough for the Artist to rescue the green dragon. "You are not going to hurt us again!" Another blast followed the first but this one was deflected.

"Foolish child," he roared. "Do you truly think a mere dragon can hope to stand a chance against the Phoenix King?" He let loose with a blast of his own fire which the Gamer dodged. Taking flight to circle around him and doing her best to keep his attention on her so the Artist had time to revive the Sadist. They may not like her or the part of Azula that she represented, but she was still a part of Azula, still one of them, and they were not going to let Ozai destroy anyone.

"Wake up," the Artist said to the Sadist as she gently slapped the green dragon's face, which was so much like the Gamer's.

"What happened," the Sadist said with a groan, "What's going on?"

"Father tried to crush you," the Artist explained, "but Azula stopped him while I pulled you to safety."

"Why?" the Sadist replied clearly puzzled. "I thought the two of you hated me. I certainly wouldn't have risked my neck for you."

"Because, no matter how much we may hate each other, you're still one of us. Without you, we can't be whole."

"And three against one is better odds," the Sadist stated, believing her own explanation more than she did the Artist's. "Come on Azula, let's see if we can strip the King of his crown a second time." The two dragons shared a sadistic grin as they swam through the air to attack their father, adding their own flames to the Gamer's efforts.

The battle was long and hard with each dragon picking her own targets on the Phoenix King's body. The Gamer struck at strategic weak points in his defenses, the Sadist went for areas that would cause the most pain, while the Artist tried to protect them both from his wrath. Despite their efforts they were making little progress. They were the size of songbirds to him and had all the effect of biting insects that refused to be swat. Finally he grew frustrated and encircled himself with a wall of flame which expanded out like a shockwave knocking the three dragons to the scorched dreamscape.

"We're not doing enough damage," the Gamer said as they struggled to their feet. One of her wings was now broken and hung limply at her side.

"What was your first clue?" the Sadist asked sarcastically before succumbing to a fit of coughing. Her once shiny scales were now blackened as were those of her fellow dragons.

"He's too big," the Artist said sadly.

"He must have a weakness," the Gamer stated as she studied him. He was armoring himself in flame, carefully shaping each piece as if it was more important than the dragons.

"Any ideas where that would be?" the Sadist snarled hoarsely. "I mean between the two of us we've roasted every orifice and exposed area of skin he has and half the time the only reason he didn't swat us is because she kept running interference." She gestured to the Artist for emphasis. "All we've done is singe him and with that armor he's putting on now he's going to be even harder to take down."

"We're not strong enough to beat him," the Artist looked like she was about to cry.

"Yes we are," the Gamer stated. "Even with the power of the comet behind him Father couldn't create blue flames."

"Neither can we," the Sadist snapped. "Or haven't you noticed the color of our flames?"

"I can make blue fire," the Artist said, "it's how I burn my pictures into the walls of our bedroom, but I have to concentrate hard to do it."

"Great, we'll just ask Father to be quiet while you're trying to focus on burning him," the Sadist's snide remark went unnoticed.

"It may not be of much use in combat," the Gamer said, "but it could buy us some time while we work on a better plan."

"Well we better start buying time!" the Sadist shouted, "Because Father's finished his flaming fashion statement!"

Indeed Ozai had recreated his Phoenix King regalia in pure fire and was now heading towards them like a human inferno.

The Artist screwed up her face in concentration and barely managed to erect a wall of blue flame before he got to them. He tried to go around it, but now that they had seen it done, the other two personas were able to add to it and now they were safe within a towering circle of blue fire that the Phoenix King could neither penetrate, nor manipulate with his own bending powers.

"You can't hide in there forever cowards!" he shouted over the roar of the flames as he tried to blast through only to have his flames swallowed up by the blue wall.

"He's right you know," said the Sadist weakly. The strain of making and maintaining their sanctuary was already taking a toll on all three of them even without Ozai's barrage. "If we don't think of something soon the wall will fall and we'll be too exhausted to fight him."

"Don't think that way," the Gamer snapped. "We now know that he can't handle our full power. We just have to figure out how to use it in battle."

"You must fight him as one," said a gentle voice that was painfully familiar to all three of them. They turned to see Fire Lady Ursa standing with her back to their protective circle.

"Mother!" the Artist shouted with joy as she ran over to hug her. Fortunately Ursa was of a scale equal to the dragons so was able to accept the hug without being crushed or knocked into the flames. The other two dragons kept a respectful distance.

"Hello Mother," they said in unison once she was able to free herself from the Artist. Though their words were the same, the way they said them was vastly different. The gamer spoke with a controlled politeness, while the Sadist said them as if the word mother rhymed with scum.

"How did you get in here?" the Gamer asked.

"A mother's love can breach any barrier when her children need her," she said simply.

"We needed you for years Mother," the sadist spat. "You abandoned us to that monster out there."

"I'm sorry," she replied, "leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done but it was the only way to save your brother."

"We can argue about who suffered more from you disappearance later," the Gamer interrupted before the impending argument drained their reserves faster than the fire. She turned to their mother. "You said we must fight him as one. What did you mean by that?"

"Right now you are fractured aspects of Azula," Ursa explained, "Strong in your own ways but not as unified as you should be. To fight Ozai you must accept and become one with each other."

The Sadist scoffed, "Become one with them? Were it not for the fact that Father wants my hide along with theirs I wouldn't even be on the same side as them."

"Were you not as much a part of Azula as we are," the Gamer snarled, "we would have let Father crush you."

"But you are all part of Azula," Ursa said before the two dragons could start fighting, "and this protective barrier proves that you can work together. Take the next step and reunite."

"The strategy is sound," the Gamer said thoughtfully. "Our power concentrated into one form might have more effect on Father."

"But if we go back together I'll be hidden again," the Artist said sadly.

"No you won't," the Gamer stated as she walked over to put a comforting fore-claw on the childlike dragon. "You were scared then. You thought you were weak. We know now that you are as strong as the rest of us."

"Besides, think how good it will feel when we give Father back the pain he gave us," the Sadist added grinning, "with interest." She didn't really care about the Artist. She just wanted revenge against the Phoenix King.

"You mean I'll be able to show my pictures?" Asked the Artist

"After we defeat Father I'll even let you finish that stupid ostrich." The Gamer promised.

"OK, enough of this touchy feely pot ash," the sadist broke in. "Are we going to do this, or are we going to talk about it until the firewall comes down and Father stomps us before we can stomp him?"

"I think we're ready," the Gamer said as she turned to their mother. "Now how do we reunite?"

"Fire is the key," Ursa said. "In the heat of the blacksmith's flames a broken sword can be remade. You are both the blacksmith and the blade. Use your fire to make yourselves one. And remember, I have always loved you and I always will." With that, she disappeared into the flames, her love making them stronger.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" the Sadist asked as the three dragons turned to face each other.

"Yes," the Gamer replied. "We must turn our protective ring into a cocoon from which we will emerge as one." She turned to look at the worried expression on the Artist's face. "And no, I don't think this will hurt. This is our fire. It cannot do what we don't allow it to do."

The Sadist wasn't buying it, but the Artist was reassured. "OK sisters," she said, "let's do this!"

Outside the firewall Ozai watched as the barrier of blue flame began to shrink in upon itself and the roars of three dragons were added to the roar of the flames. Thinking that his attacks were working he pressed his perceived advantage oblivious to the fact that the dragons weren't roaring in pain even when the ring shrank to a diameter smaller than a coffin. Then it burst open as a pair of beautiful blue dragon wings unfurled. Knocking Ozai on his royal backside and revealing Azula, on the same scale as Ozai and clad in armor of blue fire.

As Ozai stood Azula's wings draped about her shoulders like a cloak. Her eyes opened and the three dragons spoke as one through her mouth.

"Ozai," she chorused, the sound of three similar yet distinct voices speaking as one giving a strange resonance to her words, "I challenge you to a game of Agni-Kai."

"Foolish child," he growled. "You were defeated by your pathetic, traitorous brother and he stood no chance against me. What makes you think you do?" He launched a fireball at her exposed face. She blocked reflexively as the force of the blast struck her like a storm wind, forcing her to adjust her balance. It would have mussed up her hair were it not for her flame helmet, but the attack was otherwise ineffective. She lowered her arms and smiled the Sadist's smile.

"You never defeated Zuko," She stated in her triple voice. "He chose not to fight. You beat him and scarred his face, but you cannot defeat someone unless they play the game. Now you shall suffer in the same arena where you made him suffer." As she spoke the arena where Ozai had scared Zuko materialized out of the dreamscape. Only this time, Zuko was in the audience unscarred and wearing the royal robes of the Fire Lord. With him were Azula's other family and friends along with the Avatar and his little group. All dressed in the best clothes Azula could remember them wearing, eating snacks and drinking fruit punch like this was an ordinary show.

"Do you honestly think _they_ will give you enough strength to defeat me?" Ozai scoffed.

"No," she replied casually. "I expect them to watch as I reveal you for what you are, a shameless bully who was too drunk on power to care about anything but himself."

"You shall pay dearly for your insolence!" He launched a double fire punch at her.

She dodged both fireballs and sent a blast of her own back at him which struck him dead center, destroying a large section of his flame armor.

"It appears I underestimated you," he said as his armor regenerated. "There may be hope for you yet."

"Underestimating your opponent has always been your weakness," she replied as she assumed a more battle ready stance. "Now, if we're finished with the demonstrations, these people came to see a fight."

"What they'll see, my daughter, is your crushing defeat," he said as he assumed his own fighting stance and gestured for her to make the first move.

If there was any doubt as to the outcome of this fight it soon evaporated. Azula could not dodge any of Ozai's blasts once the fight began in earnest, and she was barely able to block most of them, but none of his blasts seemed to damage her armor. Ozai was able to block or dodge almost all of Azula's attacks but had to regenerate the flames of his armor after each hit even if he blocked it. As they fought, Azula kept moving closer to her father until they were close enough for hand to hand combat where even Ozai's own attacks destroyed his armor where it contacted hers, forcing him to replace sections of it with crude imitations. He finally had to break away from her and use his fire bending to propel himself further away.

"This is impossible!" he declared. "I am the better fighter. I am the Phoenix King! How could I be losing to you?"

"Because I have grown stronger while you have stagnated in the dark recesses of my mind," Azula snarled. "You are nothing but my greatest fear given form. You warped me to the point where I was too weak to handle defeat. When my best friends, the anchors of what little sanity I had, betrayed me I began to crack. My defeat at Zuko's hands and my incarceration at the institute caused further cracks until I finally broke. With my brother's help the dominant pieces of my mind found a balance and grew stronger, but were still not strong enough to face you. They needed my darker aspect, the part of me that grew strongest under your influence, before I could face you. Ironic that your attempt to destroy them forced my three selves to merge, reforging me into someone stronger than I was in the light of your 'purifying flame'." Her wings spread as she prepared to strike. "You've told me many times that fire is used to purge weakness." The flames that formed her gauntlet expanded into a fireball. "Lets see how much of you I can purge." She flew at him with the Artist's grace to strike with the Gamer's precision at the place the Sadist knew would cause him the greatest pain.

His armor was extinguished the moment he lost consciousness leaving him all but naked at her feet. The audience broke into applause as Azula stood over the fallen king. Smoke was still coming from the burned area around his left eye, where her fist had connected. A part of her wanted to destroy him. Another part knew that killing him would make her no better than he was, while a third knew that sealing him in the depths of her mind, where all forgotten fears of childhood are kept, would be a far worse fate for him. With a wave of her hand she shackled him. Behind her, the audience slowly ceased their applause and as she turned away from Ozai, Fire Lord Zuko ordered two fire nation solders to escort the prisoner to his cell. The nightmare was over.

Azula awoke and looked at the time candle. She had only been asleep for a few hours yet, despite the nightmare, she felt better than she had in years. She now knew the truth. She remembered everything in a new light. She wasn't in her palace bedroom, though steps had been taken to make it look as much like her room at the palace as possible, it was still a room at the institute. She had been mentally sick for a long time. Now she had to prove to Syd-Ni that she had recovered. But that could wait until morning. Right now she had a promise to herself that she meant to keep. She climbed out of bed and walked over to the half finished ostrich. The Artist in her wanted to finish it.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Azula looked around at her room at the institute. It had been her home for years, yet she had only really been able to see it for the past few months. Ever since that dream where she had fought her father she had been able to see this place, not as her home at the palace, but as the house of healing that it was.

It had taken her several days to convince Syd-Ni. The institute's head mind-healer, that she was sane. Convincing her brother had taken longer and not just because of the time it took messenger hawks to deliver the mail. Not that she could blame Zuko for not trusting her. Before her mind had snapped she had been an expert at reading and manipulating people. It wasn't until he had come for a visit, with Mai in tow, that he was actually convinced.

_Flashback_

She was drawing when he came for that visit, just as she had been when he met her two dominant personas during his previous visit, so at first he thought the letters, both hers and Syd-Ni's , were premature, until she turned around and acknowledged his presence.

"Greetings Fire Lord Zuko." She said formally as she faced him. It felt strange to call him by that title, but it was worth it to see the look on his face before she turned back to her work. "Forgive me for not getting up but I want to finish my painting."

"What are you painting now," he asked as he walked over to where she was sitting. She could tell by his pace that he was looking around. Seeing what had changed since his last visit. Like the fact that it was now kept tidy and her line of animals burned into the walls now went around the room. It hadn't looked right to leave the room unbalanced and she felt it reflected her new mental state.

"I've been getting bored with animals and thought I'd try people for a while," she replied casually. "What do you think?"

He stood there silently for a few minutes while he studied her work. It was a portrait of him in full Fire Lord regalia, but there was something missing.

"You forgot my scar," he finally said after self consciously running a hand over the fireball shaped burn mark that still marred the skin around his left eye.

"No I didn't," she replied. "I wanted to paint you the way you should be."

"You mean if I hadn't spoken up at that meeting."

"No, I mean the way you should be if Father hadn't been a tyrant."

Zuko was taken aback by this blunt statement. He had read in the letters that her opinion of their father had changed, but to be confronted with the fact in person clearly still came as a surprise.

"I could still paint the scar on if you prefer," she said, still sounding casual. "I could even paint one over the other eye as well if you want."

She moved to do just that but he stopped her with a hand before saying, "no, if this is the way you see me, I want you to leave out the scar."

She looked up at him and smiled. The Gamer inside her had expected a reaction like this, but the Artist was still thrilled that he liked it, while the Sadist was trying not to gag. Aloud she said, "Thank you Zuko. I was hoping you'd like it. Is Mai here?"

"Yes, she's here. I just wanted to talk with you alone first." He went to the door and called her in. Though Mai was now Fire Lady, she still dressed the same as ever. Azula wished that she could have been at the wedding.

_End Flashback_

Convincing Mai had been harder for Azula in a lot of ways, and she was sure that her former best friend still hadn't forgiven her completely, but after talking with both of them, and a few games of chess, Azula finally convinced them both that she was ready to leave. After that, it was a simple matter of making her travel plans. All under the direct care of Syd-Ni of course as the mind healer would be traveling with her. Zuko said he wanted to make sure she didn't have a relapse and Syd-Ni claimed that he didn't mind, saying that he was looking forward to the working vacation.

Her first stop was the palace where she would renounce her claim to the throne. That had been her idea not Zuko's. This was the start of a new life for her and she wanted a clean break from her old one. Otherwise some disgruntled faction of the Fire Nation might try to take control by using her as a figurehead. Besides, living as a commoner had made Zuko stronger and uncle Iroh was happier as a tea shop owner than he had ever been as a general, so maybe the simpler life would be better for her than life as a princess that everyone thought was dangerous and crazy.

She still wasn't sure if she would visit Father in his cell or not while she was at the capitol. Part of her was afraid to, but another part felt that she needed to face him. To show him that she was no longer a tool that he could control.

Her next planned stop would be Ba Sing Se, under an assumed name, so she could visit Uncle Iroh safely. The monstrous princess that she had been, had done some terrible things there and she knew that few people would care that she was a different person now.

After that, Syd-Ni would return to the institute, with the understanding that Azula would write him every week, and she would have a small fortune to do with as she pleased. She thought she would travel the world, perhaps as a merchant. Her games were popular at the institute and she was sure there would be a market for her art. She would get some pointers from her uncle beforehand of course, to make sure she had the skills to maintain a traveling business.

Her things were all packed for the journey. And her paintings were all carefully stored among them. The only sign that this had been her room was what she had burned into the walls and ceiling. The board had wanted to find a way to remove them, but Zuko had told them not to. Saying that he wanted the room reserved until after Syd-Ni came back either with Azula or with a positive field evaluation of Azula's health. By then she was sure that the board would have figured out a way to make more money by keeping the pictures then by destroying them.

She was particularly proud of the two red dragons that stood holding claws over her bed. She had carefully copied them onto canvas and was planning to use them as her emblem. She had briefly considered incorporating the third dragon that had appeared in her dream, but the Sadist represented a destructive part of her while the Artist and the Gamer were the aspects that allowed her to create. Besides, it was hard to evenly represent three interacting figures in one painting, though she still had plans to paint a picture of the cruel green dragon, as well as some of the other dragon aspects of herself that she could feel inside her mind. Each one had her own look and voice.

She sighed as she took one last look around. This place had been both prison and palace to her for so long that it was hard for her to leave, but she knew it was time for her to face the world.

Syd-Ni knocked on the open door. "Ready to go Princess?"

"Yes Honored Mind Healer," she replied, suppressing her smile. She knew how he felt about titles. He only called her princess because her gamer persona had insisted on the formality. "I'm actually going to miss this place."

"And there are people here who will miss you," he replied sincerely, "and you can always come back to visit, though I hope you never need our services again."

"I hope so too Syd-Ni," she said as she walked out the door with him. Glad she would have a friendly face to help her enter her new life.

Her life as Princess Azula was coming to a close. It was time for her to try and find happiness simply as Azula.


End file.
